Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are used widely in the computer industry to support microelectronic devices for removable, electrical coupling to other components. For example, computer motherboards typically include expansion slots or sockets configured to receive a PCB that in turn carries microelectronic devices, such as memory chips. The memory capacity of the computer can be selectively enhanced by coupling the PCB (and, therefore, the memory chips it carries) to the expansion slot. Accordingly, the PCB typically includes electrical PCB contacts that are electrically connected to the microelectronic devices and that releasably connect to corresponding socket contacts when the PCB is inserted into the socket.
One drawback with PCBs is that they can become damaged as they are inserted into the corresponding sockets. For example, the plies or layers of material forming a PCB can peel away from each other if the PCB is not precisely aligned with the socket during insertion. One method for addressing this drawback has been to bevel the leading edge of the PCB to ease the entry of the PCB into the socket. For example, the corners at the leading edge of the PCB can be trimmed with sharp blades, or milled to have sloped profiles that slide more easily into the corresponding sockets.
One drawback with the foregoing beveling approaches has been that they can create undesirable debris and can waste valuable conductive materials of the PCB. U.S. Pat. No. 6,368,540 to Morales, assigned to the assignee of the present application and incorporated herein by reference, addresses this drawback. For example, Morales discloses rolling a wheel along the corners of the PCB rather than removing material from the corners. The wheel deforms the initially sharp corners into beveled surfaces. In a particular embodiment, the corners of the PCB can be beveled by a wheel having a circumferentially extending, V-shaped slot with angled surfaces corresponding to the desired bevel angle for the corners of the PCB. While this approach has been successful for beveling the corners of the PCB without removing material from the corners, the contact between the PCB and the surfaces of the wheel can in some cases create undesirable forces on the PCB.